b. at
Allt-y-ffynnon
,
Aberhavesp, Mont.
,
23 March 1785
, son of
RichardNewell
,
farmer
, and
Bridget
his wife. In
1786
the family moved to
Gwernfyda
,
Llanllugan
, where
Richard
attended the school kept by the
Rev.
JohnDavies
and
DavidDavies
. Afterwards (
1786
) they moved to
Bryn
,
Llanwyddelan
, where the father d. in
1800
. After this the son attended the school kept by his uncle,
JohnRoberts
(
1767
-
1834
) (q.v.)
, at
Llanbryn-mair
. In
1803
his mother and he moved to
Hen Neuadd
,
Manafon
, where they lived until
1831
. In
1811
he m.
ElizabethGriffiths
of
Cefn-du
, sister of
EvanGriffiths
(
1778
-
1839
) (q.v.)
,
Meifod
, by whom he had nine children. He was elected an
elder
of the chapel at
Llanwyddelan
and was accepted as a
preacher
at the
Llanfair Association
,
1821
. He was one of the first to work among the
English
on the
Montgomeryshire
borders and
his greatest work was in connection with the
Sunday schools
and the temperance movement. About the year
1819
he was appointed
high constable
for the
Berriw
district and with the aid of the law he was able to put down interludes, Sunday wakes, and other disturbing influences. Several of the ring-leaders were prosecuted at the quarter sessions and there was a marked improvement in order and propriety throughout the district. In
1831
he moved to
Plas-bach
,
Meifod
, and in
1846
to
Cwm
, where he d.
22 June 1852
. Together with
MorrisDavies
(
1796
-
1876
) (q.v.)
,
Bangor
, he
published a periodical for young people and children
, entitled
Pethau Newydd a Hen neu Drysorfa i'r Ysgol Sabothol
. This publication ran for four years (
1826-9
), and was probably the first of its kind in
Welsh
.
RichardNewell
kept a number of diaries containing notes of Associations, Monthly Meetings, etc., covering the years
1813-50
, these manuscripts are among the
Calvinistic Methodist Archives
in the
N.L.W.